Welcome to Trouble Free Pool

We would like to welcome you to TFP, the webs leading Pool related website. We invite you to please Register to create a new account. Doing this will give you full access to the forums, where you will be able to receive personalized advice concerning your pool. We hope to see you soon!

Gatorade green water after season opening

Hi all,

I opened my pool after a strange winter here, not cold and practicaly no snow.
We also had unusually hot days early this spring. So the pool had a lot of dirt, leafs and algea, it was dark brown !!
It's also my first year opening it with a salt system.
So I opened it like I did for the last 10 years, and it took 4 days to clear (instead of two the other years), but it was very yellow, the testing indicate a very high level of PH, so I lowered it with acid.
Now the parameters are within limits, the water is clear but it's green like gatorade! and it has a slight smell.
I can't post the water level numbers because here, in Canada, we only have cheap testing kits without level on it.

Re: Gatorade green water after season opening

I don't see any test for CYA in that kit and that is a test that you will need to have, not only to know what your shock level is, but also for your regular FC maintenance.

I'm searching at the moment for Canadian testing options and will edit my post with further information as I find it, unless someone else is able to find a solution for your in the meantime.

----

Based on what I have researched here, it looks like Apollo will be the only source for a high quality test kit in Canada. The Taylor K-2006 is an excellent kit but it will cost you more in Canada than it would here is the U.S. It has everything you need.

Once you find out what your true numbers are, you can post them and we can go from there. What we really need to know right now is what your CYA (stabilizer) level is. Knowing that, we can tell you how much chlorine to add to clear your pool.

Re: Gatorade green water after season opening

Try adding the startup dose of a metal sequestrant. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find many other brands with similar products, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.